Blood Tests for Dogs

Blood testing is one of the most simple and frequently utilized forms of diagnostics performed in the veterinary clinic. At West Hill Animal Clinic, we have the capability to run blood work in the clinic, although most testing is sent to an outside laboratory.

Why are blood tests for dogs important?

Blood testing is used to assess for evidence of many things including: infection, organ dysfunction, viruses, and some cancers. Blood testing is typically performed in one of two scenarios: 1. To diagnose disease in sick animals 2. As a form of preventative medicine. We routinely run pre-anesthetic blood prior to every surgery to ensure that each patient is a good surgical candidate and we recommend annual bloodwork in our senior pets as a screen for early disease detection. When taking blood, the animal is restrained and blood is taken from an appropriate vein. On average, a maximum of 3 milliliters of blood is required to run most tests.

How do I understand the blood test results?

Once the results are received, the veterinarian will scan the bloodwork for abnormalities and call to discuss the findings to help you understand them.